Meanwhile, labor claims the bad economy makes it unfeasible to bring in hundreds of thousands of new workers for jobs that Americans should be doing.
But that argument is disingenuous. The unions were just as opposed to guest workers when the economy was good. That's because one thing that hasn't changed is that organized labor still sees itself as being in the protection business - protecting its members from the competition represented by foreign workers.

Democrats favor a reform package that would legalize the undocumented while making a cursory pass at border enforcement. But the package would leave out any mention of guest workers. Yet ditching guest workers is an effective way to ensure that not a single Republican, in either the House or the Senate, will sign on to the final product. In fact, two of the most forceful champions for immigration forces in the GOP - Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl - have already made clear that they won't support any compromise that doesn't include a temporary worker program.

That spells doom for the immigration reform movement because Democratic leaders are going to need at least a handful of Republican votes in the Senate - and could use more in the House - to offset the all-but-certain defections of Blue Dogs who won't go along with what they consider amnesty for illegal immigrants.